Wing's not sure how old he was when he first learned about the Great Barrier Reef. It was probably in an issue of Ranger Rick or National Geographic. Regardless, he's been fascinated by it for the better part of two decades, and the first thing that jumped to mind when we considered going to Australia was that we'd get a chance to snorkel there.

Day 10 of our trip finally rolled around. We found ourselves staying at the Sebel Reef House in Palm Douglas, north of Cairns, on the northeast coast of Australia. It boasted lovely wicker furniture, a porch swing, and salt and fresh water pools. Billed as one of the most romantic hotels in Australia, it was a great final stop to our trip.

A shuttle bus picked us up at 715am from our hotel. There wasn't a cloud in the sky; we later found out that it had been the best day weatherwise in months. We arrived at the harbor and boarded our catamaran with about 60 other cheerful tourists. It was quite comfortable, probably because the tour was running at a third of maximum capacity.

As we left Cairns, we had tea, watched an informational slideshow about some of the marine life (at Wing's behest), and lounged on the deck. The water was extremely calm (even more so than usual - the reef protects the coast from large waves), the sun warm, and the breeze pleasant, but Wing took a seasickness pill anyway (just to make absolutely sure that he wouldn't get sick). After two hours we arrived at our destination.

Michelmas Cay consists entirely of oral (The cool thing about coral calcium-based "sand" is that it does not conduct heat as well as normal sand, so it remains cool to the touch even under the relentless Australian sun). It has become a very popular bird sanctuary, hosting about 12,000 birds (which makes it a rather cacophonous place). We took a small boat over to the Cay, where we had a very brief snorkeling lesson (Jen's first time!).

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Over the past few weeks Wing had been warning Jen about all of the dangerous marine creatures in Australia. For years he's had an unhealthy fascination with the blue-ringed octopus, in particular. It's a small little creature, about 8" from tentacle to tentacle. It's most distinctive physical characteristic - its blue rings - appear only when it's in an agitated state. One little nip from its beak is enough to kill someone. Apparently the most dangerous creature is the extremely deadly box jellyfish. We were just at the end of box jellyfish season, which is when they all seek shallow waters to mate. Here's a snippet about the venom from http://www.barrierreefaustralia.com/the-great-barrier-reef/jellyfish.htm:

You have virtually no chance of surviving the venomous sting, unless treated immediately. The pain is so excruciating and overwhelming that you would most likely go into shock and drown before reaching the shore. So don't go swimming alone! Be sure to know the first aid procedures.

In Bill Bryson's In a Sunburned Country, he mentions a poor soul who had been stung. The victim continued to scream even after he became unconscious.

The reef is home to other dangerous creatures as well, such as the cone shell, extremely venomous sea snakes, and the stone fish. The stone fish is fun because its spines can pierce the bottom of a sandal or shoe.

(This is but a very short snippet of an ongong lecture on the dangers of Australia which Jen was subjected to from the point of airline ticket purchase. Luckily, and no doubt because of Wing's constant vigilance, we did make it home alive.) ...

The water looked extremely clear, blue, and inviting. The snorkeling instructor did not mention any of the dangers that Wing (and now Jen) were well aware of. He pointed out different types of coral, several giant clams, and many colorful fish. Thanks to him, Wing became aware of the fire coral, whose sting lingers on one's skin, making it feel as though boiling water is being poured onto it.

We glided over all of the elegant structures, brilliant colors, and lively animals of the coral reef. The fish, well-accustomed to the presence of humans, swam close enough for us to touch. We saw bright yellow rabbit fish, which mate for life when they are a week old. There were several turqoise parrot fish, and we could actually hear the rasping of their "beaks" as they nibbled at the coral. We felt a bunch of spaghetti coral, a soft coral with the consistency of its namesake. The giant clams fleshy openings were lined with a brilliant blue-green, fluourescent algae. Our guide picked up an unfortunate sea cucumber, which he shook until it expelled its sticky white intestines.

We snorkeled around on our own for a while, drifting and kicking our flippers lazily. Jen found it both easier and more interesting than the time she tried snorkeling in her swimming pool at home.

The water was less than three feet deep in some places, but teemed with life and color. Jen felt less bad about wimping out on scuba diving since snorkeling turned out to be pretty cool.

The diversity of life in the coral reef is incredible. The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from space, and it serves as a home to thousands of species of fish. The reef stretches for about as long as the entire east coast of the United States. The reef-building process is a slow one. Tiny organisms called polyps build calcium-rich structures for shelter. They live together in colonies, and when they die, they leave the structures behind. Young polyps continue to build on the edges of the colony, and after many iterations, large coral structures are formed. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Many of them partner with algae.

We returned to the boat for lunch, a lovely buffet. Highlights included fried perch and whole, fresh shrimp (Wing, continuing our tradition of "getting our money's worth" ate 9 of them).

After lunch (probably not the best timing, stomach-wise) we boarded the semi-submersible, a small submarine-like boat which was long, narrow and slightly claustrophobic. Passengers sat in pairs and windows lining the bottom part of the boat allowed us to enjoy the deeper parts of the reef without getting wet. Fish and coral were identified along the way, and we were even lucky enough to see a sea turtle.

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We headed back to the cay for one last bit of snorkeling, trying to soak in the experience.

The ride back to Cairns was quite nice. We had more tea, along with several pieces (six) of cake. One of the crew members played his guitar and sang popular American and Australian songs with a heavy German accent, while the others served champagne to the passengers and juice to the kids (and us). The gentle breeze picked up as we neared port, and the captain turned off the motor and unfurled the sails so that the wind brought us home.